Phantasmagoria 2

Phantasmagoria 2: Labor des Horens (Original title: Phantasmagoria: A Puzzle of Flesh ) is a horror adventure by Sierra Entertainment from 1996. It is the sequel to Phantasmagoria and was developed under the direction of Lorelei Shannon .

action

The plot of Phantasmagoria 2 is separate from its predecessor. The main character is the calm Curtis Craig. He is currently in the process of rebuilding his life - and at the moment it seems to be working wonderfully. Because he has pretty much everything you could want: a good job, a loving girlfriend, a nice apartment and a nice group of friends. He was released from the Asylum for the Insane a year ago. But right now weird things are happening again. He has eerie visions, receives calls from his dead mother, who has hanged herself, and e-mails from his long-dead father. Then the first murders happen and all the evidence points to Curtis. In addition, the police detective Allie Powell is close on his heels. In the meantime he is plagued by insane illusions again. In deep despair, he goes looking for clues. In the basement of his employer Wyntech, he comes across something insanely bizarre that hardly anyone can imagine.

Gameplay

Like its predecessor, Labor of Horror is an adventure game with point & click control . While the FMV sequences tell the story, the player in the game section can search for objects with his digitized character in front of rendered backgrounds, add them to the inventory and combine them with other objects and objects in order to find the right solutions. Videos can be replayed to discover solution clues.

development

For the sequel, Lorelei Shannon was responsible for the plot, but left the company before the development work was completed. This part was also shot by actors, but this time in a real studio. The cast included Paul Morgan Stettler , Monique Parent , Ragna Sigrun , Warren Burton , Regina Byrd Smith , Paul Mitri , Burt Bulos , Cynthia Steele and others. Labor des Grauens was released on 5 CDs in autumn 1996, almost a year after Phantasmagoria .

The German and American versions of the game were released uncut. The US version received the ESRB rating of "Mature" (17 years and over, due to strong sexual content, realistic violence and brutality), the USK rating was "Not approved under 18 years". Nevertheless, both versions were indexed by the Federal Testing Office for writings harmful to minors based on their content according to the law applicable at the time . The British version was spared, as some video scenes were cut out here. Due to the reorganization of the USK on April 1, 2003, the conditions for the age rating were changed. Games that had previously been approved for "ages 18+" had to be tested again. This means that the approval before April 1, 2003 is no longer valid.

reception

The game was rated less well than its predecessor.

"Phantasmagoria 2 or" How a screaming victim is struck by a few staples ": they are a decent story, capable actors, on average logical (but not necessarily inventive) puzzles, greatly improved graphics, a few good gags and, last but not least, a pinch of eroticism The cornerstone of a psychological thriller that - played at night - does not fail to achieve its intended effect. When viewed in daylight, the traditional weaknesses of Sierra's Interactive Movie range in terms of puzzle density and quality become apparent. "

- Petra Maueröder : PC Games

“In the meantime Sierra has perfected the technology of the FMV adventure, camera settings and acting skills have matured enormously, but the scope of action breaks down into a cheap string of worn clichés on closer examination. It's hard to give the script clear lines and logical conclusions. Abstruse visions and interchangeable plot set pieces allow real puzzles only very sporadically, which then fluctuate from trivial to almost impossible to create. If you want to bring elements like horror, sado-maso games and aliens under one roof, you have to cut back on traceability. Anyone who does not care about that and who is only after the highest accumulation of splatter, sex and disgust scenes in an adventure will be well served. "

- Frank Heukemes : Power Play

In the bulletin board of the Sierra homepage, Sierra boss Ken Williams announced at the time of publication that the further publication of FMV Adventures was being considered. The reason given was the high production costs. Instead, Sierra is experimenting with textured 3D polygon models .

Web links

Phantasmagoria 2 at MobyGames (English)

Individual evidence

[1] Phantasmagoria 2 in the Internet Movie Database (English)

[:1-2] Gamespot review

[:3-3] Test report Power Play

[:2-4] Test report PC Player

[:4-5] PC Games 02/1997, pp. 166-167